Recently in U.S. Pat. No. 3,839,444 halophenoxybenzamide herbicides were described. The herbicides have the general formula ##STR2## wherein
X is halogen, n is 1 to 5, and R is amido, alkylamido (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4) or dialkylamido (C.sub.3 -C.sub.4).
A continuing need exists for active herbicides; especially active herbicides which are selective. The presence of undesired vegetation is very damaging to useful crops such as rice. In the current world situation, wherein food shortages are quite acute, it is most important not to lose a significant portion of a valuable crop such as rice. The presence of such undesired vegetation results in the loss of a significant portion of such crop. Thus, a need exists for a particularly effective herbicide which will destroy as much of the unwanted vegetation as is possible without causing significant damage to the desired crops, e.g., rice.
According to the instant invention, herbicidal compounds have been discovered which are highly active herbicides and yet cause minimal damage to desired crops such as rice or wheat.